Injuries continue to mount, but Buccaneers keep racking up the W's in victory over 49ers

John Romano, Tampa Bay Times on Oct 12, 2025

Published in Football

By clicking submit, I authorize Arcamax and its affiliates to: (1) use, sell, and share my information for marketing purposes, including cross-context behavioral advertising, as described in our Privacy Policy , (2) add to information that I provide with other information like interests inferred from web page views, or data lawfully obtained from data brokers, such as past purchase or location data, or publicly available data, (3) contact me or enable others to contact me by email or other means with offers for different types of goods and services, and (4) retain my information while I am engaging with marketing messages that I receive and for a reasonable amount of time thereafter. I understand I can opt out at any time through an email that I receive, or by clicking here

TAMPA, Fla. — This time, the defense came up big in the clutch.

After Tampa Bay’s offense delivered game-winning drives in the final minutes of four victories, the defense did its part by shutting down the San Francisco 49ers on two critical drives in the fourth quarter of a 30-19 win at Raymond James Stadium on Sunday.

Lavonte David ended one drive with a third-down sack of San Francisco quarterback Mac Jones that knocked the 49ers out of field-goal range. After Bucs kicker Chase McLaughlin missed a 49-yard field goal, the 49ers drove into Tampa Bay territory with the Bucs nursing a 27-19 lead.

On third-and-1 from the 29, Jones had Jauan Jennings open on the sideline but Jamel Dean came off his receiver to make a leaping interception with just under six minutes remaining. Minutes later, McLaughlin put the score out of reach with a field goal.

With his top four receivers, two offensive linemen and No. 1 running back out with injuries, Baker Mayfield improved his MVP candidacy by completing 17 of 23 for 256 yards and two touchdowns as the Bucs improve to 5-1.

Game ball

He’s taken a lot of abuse the past few years because he’s had trouble staying healthy, but Dean came up huge for the Bucs in the fourth quarter. With San Francisco driving for a possible tying score, Dean made a leaping interception with just under six minutes remaining. Dean now has multiple interceptions in a season for the first time since 2022.

Play of the day

Play of the day? How about play of the year. Facing a third-and-14 with a one-point lead late in the third quarter, Mayfield slipped from the grasp of defensive linemen Bryce Huff and Trevis Gipson, took off to his left and juked past corner Upton Stout and then got hit at the 47 by linebacker Tatum Bethune, but fell forward to the 44 for a first down. Two plays later, he hit Tez Johnson with a 45-yard touchdown pass.

Keep an eye on

If you see a healthy wide receiver on the street, please call 1-800-BucsNeedHelp. With Mike Evans, Chris Godwin and Jalen McMillan already on the sidelines and Emeka Egbuka going down with a hamstring pull on Sunday, the Bucs were left with their fifth, sixth and seventh receivers in the second half.

NFC South update

After beating the Dallas Cowboys 30-27, the Carolina Panthers are 3-3. Why is that significant? It’s the first time Carolina has been .500 since Nov. 14, 2021. And the Panthers have a decent chance to get to 4-3 with a road game against a winless New York Jets team next week. Not sure that the Panthers pose any kind of threat to Tampa Bay, but at least they’re not sharing space with the woeful New Orleans Saints at the bottom of the division.

Up next

Breathe easy, Bucs fans, the end is in sight. Having gone through Philadelphia, Seattle and San Francisco in successive weeks, the Bucs will finish their four-week torture chamber with a road game at Detroit. The Bucs won 20-16 in Detroit last season, but were incredibly fortunate. The Lions outgained Tampa Bay 463-216, but went only 1 of 7 in the red zone.

____